Cartographic Mischief

Blood flowed in the Balkans. Blood flowed in Rwanda and Kenya. Blood is flowing in Darfur. All of the genocidal horrors of our time were wrought by long-ago superpowers who drew boundaries on maps without any regard to ethnic and racial enmity that antedates the nations created by those so-called superpowers. Our current insoluble problem, Iraq, was created by the Brits. Willy-nilly, the British Empire created Iraq out of territories controlled by Sunni Muslims, Shiite Muslims, and Kurds. Saddam Hussein took over in 1979 and kept the peace among these three groups through a reign of terror that lasted until the U. S. invaded in 2003. The Dubster's brain-trust eliminated Saddam Hussein. Now, the sole solution to our problem is a tripartite division of Iraq to give the Sunnis, the Shia, and the Kurds their own countries. When it comes to oil, "There Will Be Blood." Let the warring factions all go to the Hot Place in a Handbasket. Bring our troops home. Not a single Sunni, Shia, or Kurd deserves the sacrifice of more than 4,000 of our best people. So, as Marcy Shaffer proclaims, "Partition" is the only answer to our Mess O'Potamia. Let the Sunnis, Shia, and Kurds kill one another or, perish the thought, work things out peacefully. But, leave us out of it. If this is (fair & balanced) realpolitik, so be it.

VERSUS looks at Iraq five years after in a parody of "Tradition" from "Fiddler on the Roof" (Music by Jerry Bock/Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick). To view, click on "Partition".

[Marcy Shaffer is the most gifted musical parodist of our time. Move over, Tom Lehrer!]


Ⓟ © 2008 RMSWorks LLC.

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